One Day in Paris
by LouC
Summary: She lied to the witness, he lied to their team mate. What happened in Paris that they are not ready to share?
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long week. The team had just closed their second case in 6 days and after being called in last Saturday they had hardly been home. It had been worst for Ziva, whose turn it had been to file the reports. Everyone was relieved that it was the weekend again and that the team was not on standby.

Gibbs' desk phone rang.

"Don't answer, Boss." suggested DiNozzo. "We can just pretend that we have all gone home and no one needs to know, let the weekend team take..." he trailed off mid sentence, realising that his cause was lost.

"Gibbs. Uh-huh. I'll send them up." The team leader turned to him. "Director wants to see you in his office, now. You too, David."

Muttering under his breath, Tony got to his feet and started towards the staircase. His partner followed him, no more enthusiastic than he was at the prospect of working through another weekend.

"And DiNozzo" Gibbs called after them, "Don't antagonize him. You don't want to end up on a submarine.

"Yes, Boss." Tony replied "But," he added under his breath, "If he tries to send me to the desert again, I will quit."

***

When they reached the door of the Director's office, Ziva raised her fist to knock but before she could the Director summoned them inside.

"DiNozzo. David. I truly am sorry. I know it has been a long and trying week for everyone, but I have a case for you. Top priority. Our best Paris agents have come down with stomach flu at the worst possible time. Their team is not up to this now. I need this to all go off without any problems."

The two agents looked at each other. "That is what we are trained for," Ziva assured her Director.

***

It had been four and a half hours since they boarded the plane. Four and a half very long hours. At first they had the upcoming mission to discuss. Plans and backup plans for all possible ways it could play out. As much as Tony liked to joke around, they were good at what they did and the case always came first. That had taken one hour.

The next three hours had been filled by Professor DiNozzo's guide to great films to play on long-haul flights. Airport! Alive. Air Force One.

"Why do they all start with A?" Ziva had asked, with curiosity that was a little too forced.

"I am going alphabetically," Tony replied.

"Oh. Is it a long list?" She asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes. Very long." The glint of teasing in his eyes had made her relax a little. Maybe the flight would not be so long. At least they had been getting along better lately. Things had been tense he last few months and it was starting to show in the way they spoke to each other. Even McGee had noticed the strain it sometimes was to be civil. She had tired quickly of being a probie.

The next hour had been a painful commentary of the in-flight entertainment. Easter Parade hardly seemed the genre of film that would be part of Tony's knowledge base, but he was painfully informed of the trivia and behind the scene facts. Ziva, in her haste to pack had forgotten her earphones and these cheap airline ones just did not block out the sound as well as hers did. Her partner was totally oblivious of the hateful glares from the passengers he was disturbing. Most of them, including Ziva were trying to sleep.

Finally, right around the part where Hannah Brown starts to make it big on her own, he had fallen asleep. Ziva was relieved and thankful for the silence. Until the snoring began. She had forgotten how loud he was. The other passengers were more disturbed by this than they had been by his inane commentary.

"Tony!" she whispered angrily. "DiNozzo, shut up!"

He mumbled something incomprehensible and shifted in his seat. Ziva slouched in hers, wishing she was at home in her comfortable bed. She looked at the blackness out the window and wondered how she would pass the day tomorrow. She was not in the mood to play tourist. She had been making a mental list of all the places she could revisit when she felt a weight on her shoulder. Tony's head had fallen to the side and come to rest on her. Gently, she tried to sit him back up but he was too fast asleep.

"Oh well," she said to herself. "At least he is not snoring."

She sat back and stared at the overhead locker. It was going to be a long night.

***

It was midnight DC time when they arrived at Charles de Gaulle. Ziva was exhausted and feeling disheveled after a sleepless flight. The sun had just been rising as they came in to land. The sight of Paris bathed in a warm orange glow had raised a lump in her throat. There was something about this town which had always felt like home to her. The people had a reputation for being rude and arrogant but she had never found that. Perhaps because she spoke the language and had spent most of her adult life disguising herself to fit in places.

Despite his long nap, DiNozzo's hair was still perfectly styled and his suit only a little crumpled. Ever fashionable, he had chosen to wear a waistcoat to mark the occasion of his first trip to Paris. As they stepped out of the airport to the waiting taxis, he was glad he had also packed a heavier coat. The weather was cold in the early morning. The city was waking as they drove through the streets to their hotel.

Tony's excitement was obvious. He practically had his nose pressed to the taxi window the entire journey.

"I thought you would have been here before, Tony" Ziva said, more than a little embarrassed by his touristy behaviour.

"No. My father's business interests were always more... desert and tropical. But this place! This is the place where all the great movie romances happen. Except maybe Roman Holiday. Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn. Sharing a room, keeping secrets. That should have been in Paris. Casablanca. Bogey and Bacall will always have Paris."

"You like it because it is in movies?" she asked. She considered whether or not to tell him that Paris and Rome were sister cities, considering themselves the only two worthy each other. She decided not.

"Yeah. And... I don't know. My whole life I have had a feeling that I would like it here. Maybe it is the culture, the history, the people. There is just..."

"...Something," she finished. "I know, I feel it too. It is a place where things happen. There is always something new, yet it feels comfortable and familiar each time I return."

"Paris! On Uncle Sam's dime. It does not get any better than this!"

"This is not a vacation, Tony!" she reminded him.


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost 0700 when they reached the hotel. Tony leapt from the taxi and headed towards the doors, leaving Ziva to settle the bill.

"DiNozzo, wait please!" she called after him. Turning to the driver, she offered and apology. "Je suis désolé. My friend, he is very excited to be here. Please, keep the change. Merci."

She hurried after her partner, carrying her bags and one of his which he had left on the floor of the taxi.

"Tony, you are the most forgetful and irresp...What?" she stopped mid sentence.

The look on his face could not have been more different to the one he had had a few moments ago. "What is wrong? Have we got a message? Has something happened? Did Gibbs..."

The hotel clerk, could tell she was tired and interrupted her before she could become more worried.

"I am sorry, Ms David. There is a problem with your room bookings. Your assistant, a Mr," the clerk consulted his computer, "A Mr McGee did phone ahead and make a booking for you today. But he did not specify a time and we assumed that he meant for tonight. We did not expect you so early in the morning."

Ziva was glad to hear that nothing was really wrong but knew that she needed sleep badly. "Is there not another room I can sleep in? Pour aujourd hui?"

"I am sorry, madam we have a floor closed due to bad storms last week. Many broken windows. We have but one room empty until our afternoon check-in. The room for Mr DiNozzo is unoccupied."

Ziva's frustration was growing "But I need a room. I am very tired and tomorrow we have to..."

"Ziva," Tony cut in. "It is ok. You can sleep in my room this afternoon. I'm not spending the day cooped up in a hotel. This is Paris!"

The clerk looked at her, expecting her to object but her fatigue won her over. "That will be fine." she sighed. But she could not resist adding, "Please make sure I have a room for tonight." She glared at her partner. "I did not bring earplugs."

***

"Will you look at that view! What a city. The sounds, the smells... Cigarette smoke. Hmm. Never mind." DiNozzo trailed of as he shut the window.

"Speaking of smells, I think I will call the concierge to have my suit pressed while I have a shower." he admitted. "It has been almost two days since I..."

"I do not need to know the details, Tony!" Ziva stopped him. "Just throw your suit out the door and I will call guest services for you. Then, I am going to have a nap"

"Suit yourself." Tony joked. "I am an American in Paris today! I' got rhythm, I' got music, I got my gal... well, you'll do... Who could ask for anything more?" The sounds of his singing faded as he closed the ensuite door. Moments later his jacket and pants flew out the door. "Thanks! Have a good nap, Sleeping Beauty!"

Ziva stood from the chair she had been curled up in and picked up his clothes, leaving them on the sidetable by the door. When guest services arrived, she gave them the suit then walked over to the bed. She was so tired she felt sick. She lay down on the soft covers and breathed deeply. She could still hear Tony in the bathroom. He had moved onto another song but she tried to block it out.

He could be so annoying sometimes. He really did some things which made her furious. The last year had been difficult for the whole team. But it seemed to have effected the two of them more than it had the others.

She closed her eyes and willed sleep to take her but as she drifted off, thought of pirates and men with bandanas swirled in her head.

***

It was well after lunch time when Ziva woke up. She had not slept well. She rarely slept well anymore, but her dreams had been worse than usual. "Probably because I was so tired" she mused.

Her stomach growled and she calculated how long it had been since she had eaten. A quick snack from the vending machine while she had been typing yesterday's incident report and before that a hurried breakfast of coffee and half an apple. Hardly fuel for a day's dangerous work. Ziva took the neatly folded towel from the end of the bed and headed for the bathroom. DiNozzo had actually picked up his towel, which surprised her. She turned the water on full blast and stepped into the spray. At first it stung her skin but gradually her shoulders numbed to the force of the water. She let it blast her face and tried to clear her mind.

She heard the ancient pipes creak and knew that she was quite possibly about to lose water pressure. She stepped aside but not quickly enough. A sudden rush of freezing cold water hit her face and every muscle in her body clenched with the shock. Would she ever forget how it felt? She has lost count of the number of times she had been ready to just let go and they had thrown the cold water on her, dragging her back to the grim reality.

"Enough." She said sternly to herself, as she stepped out of the shower.

As she dried off, she wiped the steam from the mirror. She was shocked to see how tired she still looked. The nightmares had been taking their toll on her for months now. Recently, she had begun to wear more makeup to cover the dark circles. They seemed to be permanently under her eyes now. So far, nobody appeared to have noticed.

As tired as she felt, Ziva knew that she had to eat something. She considered ordering room service but quickly decided that she wanted to be around people, even if they were total strangers. She picked up her purse, an uncharacteristically feminine handbag with a long shoulder strap and put in her wallet and the room card. No doubt Tony would lose his somewhere in the city and he never could open the electronic locks anyway. She holstered her firearm and locked the door behind her.

Just as she stepped from the elevator into the lobby, her phone rang. "DiNozzo" the caller ID told her.

"Yes?" She answered, a little too curtly.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up? I thought you might be getting hungry and I have found a really great little place. About three blocks from the hotel down a little side street. There are chairs on the sidewalk and a guy with an accordion and everything! But if you don't want...."

"No, it is ok." she cut in. "I am quite hungry and I need some air. Give me the street name."

***

As Tony sat waiting at the cafe, he scanned through the photos he had taken that day. Even a PE major could appreciate the architecture of Paris. He was proud of the shots he had taken and could not choose a favorite. Even the side streets with the top of the Eiffel Tower in the background had turned out great. He would make McGee put them all on his Facebook for him when they arrived home.

Halfway through his third cup of coffee, he saw Ziva approaching from the main street. She was wearing a light grey jacket and walking in the brisk way that she always did. He knew that she would be carrying her weapon, despite their day off. She stopped at a news stand a couple of buildings away and picked up a postcard. Tony lifted his camera as the proprietor approached her. He clicked the shutter just as she turned to greet the man. He looked at the screen. "Not like my great shots of the city" he decided. But he would save it. You never knew with Ziva when you would need to use blackmail. She paid the proprietor for her card and continued towards the cafe where her partner was waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

Ziva saw the scooter before she saw DiNozzo. She knew that it had to be his. It was exactly what he could choose to hire. Silver and flashy. Very DiNozzo.

"Hello," she said as she sat down opposite him. "I do not think that that is a regulation issue NCIS hire vehicle."

"Nope". He grinned at her. "It is better! Although, it is harder to ride than I thought it would be. Not like a regular motorbike. It has the best little horn! Meep..." he trailed off. "You look troubled. Did you sleep better?"

"Better?" she repeated, puzzled. "Better than what?"

"It's probably nothing." he replied. "It's just that when I left, you were all scrunched up and murmuring something. You did not look peaceful at all."

"I did not have a very restful sleep." Ziva admitted. "My mind does not seem to stop these days. Always thinking. Always going around and over and...But it does not matter. We are here to do a job yes?"

"No. I mean yes we are here to do a job." Tony sounded confused. "Your English has improved a lot, Ziva. Sometimes I want to correct you then realise that you did not make a mistake."

"Perhaps from all the studying" she suggested.

"That's right. Your citizenship test. American history. Oo! Speaking of history, you have got to see my photos. The places I saw today. You would not believe. I mean of course you would believe, you have been here before but..." He reached into his backpack for his camera.

"This one," he showed her the screen, "I like the lines. The walls are so... straight... and it... it is hard to describe architecture!"

"You had a good day then?" Ziva asked, although she already knew the answer.

"The best!" he answered. "Look at this one. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart. It took almost 40 years to build that place. It is just huge. The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. All the best tourist places!"

"Tony?" she asked.

"Hmm?" He was lost in his prized snapshots, planning the captions for each one when McGee loaded them for him.

"Tony, it is 1500 an you haven't slept except on the plane last night. Are you tired?

"Not at all." he assured her. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there is somewhere I want to show you. Somewhere I am sure that guidebook of Paris buildings I see in your bag did not tell you to go."

"Really? I am intrigued. But first, you have some of this great coffee, then you can take me anywhere you want!"

***

"Where are you taking me?" Tony asked her for the fifth time. "I told you that I already saw the Arc de Triomphe and checked out the stores along here. Very Rodeo drive."

"Will you be quiet and wait!" she told him. "There is more to this city than statues and shopping. There are some places which especially you will enjoy visiting."

"The Moulin Rouge! You are taking me to the... uh!" Tony grunted as Ziva slapped the back of his head. "Not the Moulin Rouge."

The taxi stopped at the far end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Tony thanked the driver as he crawled out after Ziva.

"Where are we? What is there to see here?" He could not work out why she had brought him to this end of the street, away from all the drama of the city.

"Shh. Follow me." said as she walked down the sidewalk. "See in there?"

"A park?" DiNozzo asked, a little disappointed. "You brought me to see a park?"

"Not just any park." Ziva promised. She put one hand on Tony's back and cast her other across the scene before them. "Use you imagination. Picture people and markets and...."

"Charade!" realisation dawned on him. "1963. Directed by Stanley Donen starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Is this...?"

"Ziva smiled at him. "Yes! The park with the stamps and the merry-go-round"

"Oh wow! I totally missed this today." he admitted. "How did you...?"

"I watch movies too, Tony. We do have cinemas and video stores in Israel you know."

DiNozzo motioned to a nearby park bench. "Can we sit?"

"Sure." She smiled. She was glad she had been able to show him something which he had not expected. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I love people watching" admitted DiNozzo. "I don't know why. Hotel lobbies are a great place to do it but this is pretty good too. Nine o'clock," he motioned discreetly with his head to a businessman on their left. "I bet he has been in an office all day. He is walking pretty fast though. Hot date tonight I think." Tony winked at Ziva.

"I wonder what people would make of us, sitting here." Ziva mused. "Do you think they would ever guess we are armed federal agents who are about to escort a witness back to the United States?"

Tony eyed her. "You maybe. So serious looking, carrying, always looking around. But me? No. I am just a red-blooded American boy soaking in the sites of the City of Love."

The sun was beginning to fade and the street lights were turning on. Soon they would need to find somewhere to eat dinner and then return to the hotel so she could check into her own room.

 "It is different at night." Ziva said, almost to herself. "Everything takes on a magical glow and the whole city seems like a fairytale."

 "I can't wait to see everything all lit up!" Tony's enthusiasm was almost contagious as he stood and offered Ziva his arm. "Shall we?"

"Shall we what?" She asked, taking his elbow as they began to walk back to the street.

"Food!" he exclaimed.

A laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. "What else!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh I ate too much," Tony groaned.

"You did order three main meals!" Ziva reminded him. _Would he ever be able to act like an adult,_ she wondered.

"I just couldn't decide and we are only here the one night so I had to try everything" he defended himself.

Ziva felt she had been a little harsh with him. "It is ok, I understand. I can not choose desserts. Here, everything is good and when you think you have decided, you see something that looks just as good."

"We can share if you like." Tony offered. "You choose yours and I will choose mine. Two. And we can have some of everything."

"Ok." she agreed. They placed their order with the waiter and sat in silence for some minutes. It was not an awkward silence but there were clearly things which each of them was avoiding bringing up.

After Tony had finished off both their desserts, he leaned back in his chair and let out she same groan as he had when he finished dinner.

"Perhaps a walk?" suggested Ziva. "You go and pay while I send Abby's postcard. I saw a box further back up the street."

_This is not as hard as I thought it would be_, Ziva thought to herself as she walked. _He is less annoying than he usually is. Thoughtful almost. Perhaps I have not been hiding my secret as well as I thought after all_ she admitted.

"Where shall we walk to?" Tony asked after they met up again.

"The river?" Ziva suggested. "You said you wanted to see lights. You will be amazed, I promise."

"The river it is then." He handed her her grey coat and they began to walk towards the Seine. "I've had a great day," Tony admitted. "I know you disapprove of my touristy behaviour but just wait until you see my pictures!"

"I am sure they will be lovely." she assured him. "Once McGee loads them on your Facebook page"

"How did you...?" Even after all these years, he was still astounded by her ability to read him. "Well, that is what the McUSB hub is for. He loves it."

"That is true" she admitted. "He is never more in his element than when he is typing codes into a computer. You know he could empty our bank accounts in a second if he wanted to?"

"What about me?" Tony asked. "What is my element?"

"You are not so easy." Ziva would have to be careful how she said this. "You like cases when they are hard. You live for the adrenaline. You do complain a lot but I know you love it."

"The weirder the better. Oh, I am beginning to sound like Abby. That's not good. And what of you, my little Israeli ninja. What is your element. Stealth, an all seeing eye and you have an iron will when it comes to your job." _At least you used to before..._he thought to himself.

"It used to be that nothing could get by you. But sometimes, I think you are not as onto things as you used to be."

"Perhaps," she evaded the true meaning of his statement, "That is because I am tired and currently homeless in a foreign city."

"Oh, your room!" Tony remembered, taking her cue to avoid the topic of her traumatic summer. "We need to get back so you can check in and..."

"That is ok, we have enough time. We are not far from the river now and you really must see it at night. It is like a..."

"Fairytale, you said. You also said that this was not a vacation but you seem to be enjoying yourself well enough. I know I am glad to have you here with me. To see things that I would have missed. Like the park this afternoon. That was great. You make me stop and take time to soak things up."

"And you," Ziva said "Make me get out and do things when I want to be a home bunny"

"Body," he corrected. "Home body. But you are right. We make a good team."

They had reached the last block before the river now and as they crossed the road, Tony thought to himself _This has been ok. She is not herself for sure but she is not snapping my head off. It is hard to tell these days what mood she will be in._

"There!" she interrupted his thoughts. "I told you it was not far."

Tony was speechless. NotreDame Cathedral lit against the night sky was almost the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Ziva leant on the sandstone wall, the other side of which was a steep drop to the dark water below. A sad look came over her face. "Dozens of people throw themselves into this river every year, Tony. People who have given up the will to live. Given up and not been rescued."

She turned towards him. "I know how hard it must have been for you, all those months thinking I was dead. I think you blamed yourself, just as you blamed yourself after Jenny was killed."

She looked up to his face and saw a softness there that she had not been expecting.

"I know you have nightmares, Ziva." He challenged her. "I know you don't sleep well anymore. I see you trying to cover it with makeup. Which by the way does suit you rather well. But you can't hide the sadness I see in your eyes sometimes."

She shivered. The movement did not go unnoticed by her partner. He stepped closer, wondering if she was cold or if she remembering the things they had done to her. There had been a time where she wondered if her face even looked like a face anymore. They had beaten her more times than she thought she could stand.

"That is why," she admitted, "I have always said I would rather be..."

"Don't." Tony stopped her, putting a finger to her lips. "I know you always said that you would rather die than be captured. I used to think so too. But since they caught me, I am glad that I was not killed. It was satisfying to see that bastard lying on the ground."

"But you chose to be captured." Ziva objected stepping back from him. "You had a plan, kind of, and you wanted it. I never expected..." She trailed off. "Not here. Not now. This time is for you, to see your Paris. See a fairytale city."

Tony knew that the topic was closed for now. But this was the most she had spoken of her ordeal since she came home five months ago. _This is good._ He thought to himself. _She will talk soon, when she is ready. _

"You know what?" Tony asked, his voice deliberately light as he tried to change the mood for her. "I think Paris is mis-named. They call this place the city of love but I think it should be the city of bridges. Look at them all. One, two, three..."

"There are thirty-seven, DiNozzo" she interrupted him. She pointed to one to their left. "That one there is St Michael bridge. If we cross it, you can look around Notre Dame before we go back."

"I'd like that." he said. "You know, I think this thing with Paris and me is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Casablanca" she said, as she took a small step sidewards to bump him with her shoulder. "I knew you would like it."

"Oh I do." he answered, leaning his elbow casually her shoulder. "Very much"


	5. Chapter 5

It was after 2300 when they arrived back at the hotel.

"I'm hungry" DiNozzo said, looking sadly at the closed hotel restaurant.

"You're always hungry. You are a bottomless pit" Ziva quipped. "There was a McDonalds back on the last street if you want to go out again and..."

"No!" he said firmly. "No American food today! Only French food."

"Um, Tony you just ate a pretzel from a cart. They are German. Besides, you love french fries."

"That I do." he admitted. "But some French baking and strong coffee sounds better. And room service is available all night. Come, let us peasants eat cake, then we will fix a room for you."

"Chocolate." she suggested. "With ice-cream and perhaps some hot sauce."

He gestured madly as he bowed like an exaggerating footman. "After you, m'lady."

***

"The food will be five minutes." Ziva said as she hung up the phone.

"Great. You will not believe which movie is on TCM as we speak."

_Oh no._ Ziva thought, _Another two hours of commentary_. "Which?" she asked.

"Charade." he answered, patting the couch beside him. "The greatest Hitchcock that Hitchcock never made. What a great way to end a great Paris day."

"You should have ordered popcorn with your cake" Ziva laughed as she sat beside him.

"Nope, that is Indian, Native Indian not Indian Indian. I said only French, and some German, food today."

They sat in silence as the film's opening played. Minutes later, Ziva could not believe how long Tony had gone without offering some film trivia.

"He really is a good spy" Tony said. "She had no idea who he was, even when his name changed the third time."

 There was a knock at the door which prevented Ziva from needing to shush him herself. "I'll get it" she said as she stood up.

She came back with the tray and placed it on the coffee table. Sitting on the floor, she began to remove the covers from the plates. Following her lead, Tony slid from the couch and crossed his legs under the table.

"You know," he said through a mouthful of cake. "This is really good." Ziva agreed and they continued to eat in silence. When they had finished, Ziva cleared the plates and left the tray outside the door. She came back and sat on the couch behind Tony. "I should go and get my room" she said.

"Shh, wait this bit is good. The guy with the hook is on the roof and Cary Grant is about to get jumped."

"I have seen this before" Ziva reminded him, although she did not move from her position.

A few minutes later, Ziva could feel her eyes getting heavy. _If I don't go now I will not get a room to myself_ she thought sleepily. _I will just close my eyes and rest for a moment, then I will...._


	6. Chapter 6

_Somebody has my legs! _she thought frantically. She could feel the ropes binding her getting tighter and tighter. The more she tried to free herself the tighter they got. "I will not tell you anything!" she spat out. "You are wasting your time"

"Perhaps you are not familiar with how this works, Officer David." the man said slowly. "But of course you are. The highly trained killer that you are. Caught like an animal. Beaten like your army beats my people. How does it feel?" the man sneered, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath. Then everything went black and Ziva felt a sharp pain in her side.

"Ziva!" said a man's voice. A different man this time. "Ziva, wake up, wake up it is a dream."

 "Tony?" she was confused. "How did you get...? Where am I?"

"Shh" he soothed her. "You are safe it was a nightmare. A dream. Shh"

"But I felt it. I felt the ropes around my legs, I was tangled and...Why are we on the floor?" she asked.

"I put a blanket on you," Tony explained. "The movie ended two hours ago and you were asleep so I left you. You must have rolled around so much that you tangled yourself in the blanket and fell off the couch."

 Her hand went subconsciously to her aching side. Tony did not miss the movement and standing, he walked over to the mini-bar and came back with a glass of ice.

"Hold this on it" he said. "You are going to have a whopper bruise tomorrow"

"Thanks." she winced as the freezing glass touched her burning skin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tony asked gently.

She surprised herself with her answer. "Yes. I do. This can not go on.

***

"You know about our mission. What went wrong. How I ended up alone in the desert with no backup. It was stupid. I should not have gone on.

When they first had me they just left me locked in a room. I don't know how long for, it was totally dark. Maybe three days? After that, two of the men came for me. They took me to the room, where they took you and McGee, and that was the first time I saw Saleem.

I knew he was trouble. He had hatred in his eyes and he carried himself like someone with a fire in his soul. At first they just kicked at me and threatened me but they quickly found that I would not talk. So they tried more...aggressive...methods. They took turns beating my face until I was surely unrecognisable. When I passed out, they threw cold water on me so I regained consciousness and they could continue.

Still I would not talk and this made him even angrier with me. He sent me back to the dark room and that is where the worst of it began. My eyes were so swollen I could not see the light when the door opened."

Ziva had never spoken of this before, to anyone. Not even the NCIS psychologist when she returned. She had pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, looking blankly ahead as she recalled her trauma.

"They would sneak in, silently and stand there. Then suddenly with no warning a heavy kick would strike me and I would hear them laughing. Sometimes my head, sometimes my body. Always hard. I do not know how many days they kept me in there again, but my face began to heal. I was so dehydrated that I could not cry and my mind was beginning to go. I held on for as long as I could, but they broke me. Into a thousand tiny pieces which I felt sure could never be put back together.

And then when they took me into the room that last time, I felt sure it was the end. I had made peace with that. I knew that if I did not talk, if I did not give them valuable intelligence against NCIS they would kill me. These were not the type of men to show any mercy.

I was so shocked when they pulled the hood off and I saw you sitting there. You looked awful and I knew that I had done this to you."

"That's funny," Tony spoke for the first time. "I felt the exact same way. My heart was torn between seeing you alive and seeing what they had done to you. All your light was gone, your eyes were blank. You were like a Ziva shell with no Ziva inside anymore. And when you told him, answered his questions so easily, I knew they had broken you. And it was my fault that you were even back in Israel and..."

"No." she said quietly. "It was my fault. I was mad at you when Michael died but I was mostly mad at myself. I know I said I did not, could not trust you. But I also could not trust myself. I was ashamed, Tony. That I had let myself get so deeply involved that I could not see what was happening right in front of me.

That night, when you came to my house and I walked in and saw what had happened I knew I had made a mistake. But I was too ashamed to admit it. When I yelled at you about your being there, without backup, it was because I was screaming at myself that I was your backup, your partner, and I should have been there.

It seemed like going after the group Michael had been working with, bringing down the Somali cell would be the best way for me to make up for what I had done. For hurting you like that. That is why I stayed behind."

"We thought we would never see you again" Tony admitted. "I must have dialed your number to beg you to come home a hundred times. But they said you would call when you were ready. Then when we found the ship you had sailed on, there was a sliver of hope. Until we learned that it had sunk and all on board had died.

That was the worst day of my life,Everything was surreal after that. There were cases, bodies, things to do. But none of that mattered anymore. It was crap. I had gotten you killed and I was never going to see you again. Nothing I could do would bring you back. So I did the next best thing. Set out to kill Saleem. Gibbs and me had been thinking, digging and so, it turned out, had Abby and McGee. When we finally pieced together the location of the cell and set our plan in motion, it felt like I was doing something useful for the first time in weeks.

I had no idea what would happen next. When they injected me with the serum, I did what I do best. Talk. It is just lucky that they did not ask me about McGee or his cover would have been blown. I could not lie."

"When I asked you why you had come," Ziva started slowly, "You said that you..."

"Couldn't live with out you. I know. Not my finest moment. But I could not lie. I meant it. Even without the serum, I could not lie to you then. You were my partner, my friend and I had let you down. I could not live with that guilt. It was too much. I knew that if I was ever going to move on, I would need to see Saleem's cold, dead body on the floor that day. That is why we went there."

For the last few minutes, Ziva had been rocking herself as she listened to Tony. "I did not expect ever to see you again either. I was sure we were both about to die."

"You doubted my genius plan?" Tony mocked her. "I planned to be caught, beaten, bound and drugged. All part of a day's work for me, you know."

"I should have known better," Ziva said through a yawn.

Again, Tony did not miss his partner's subconscious signs.

"You are tired. We need sleep. Big day tomorrow. Important people to protect."

"Yes." Ziva agreed, as she gathered her blankets and sat back on the couch.

"You already fell off there once." Tony knew he could not let her sleep on the hard couch after everything she had just told him. "You have been through enough for one night. We can share the bed. We are both adults and besides that, we have done it before." "I know, and you snore" Ziva protested. But she knew she would not really argue. She was too sore and too tired to question her partner.

"So do you," Tony replied. "We are evenly matched there"


	7. Chapter 7

Ziva had never felt a pillow so soft as the one her head rested on now. The bed which had not offered her any sleep that morning felt different now. Or was it her who felt different. She did not feel as alone now as she had. She had apologised to him before for the situation she had brought him into but she had not understood that he had entered into it willingly. To protect, and then to avenge her. She could hear his breathing behind her and she was thankful for her partner. For all his hi-jinks and wisecracks, he was a great agent. And a good friend.

"Tony?" she asked. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes" he rolled to face her.

"Thankyou for coming for me"

"No problem," he said, as he placed his arm around her. "I've got your back."

***

Ziva was woken by her phone ringing. "DiNozzo" it said.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Squeezing in some final sights," he replied. "But you need to get up now. I will meet you at the cafe at 1500."

"Ok," she agreed and she hung up.

He did not seem to be bothered by the things she had said last night. Perhaps the knowledge of what had really happened to her had silenced the suspicions he had. She had always thought it was better to know something bad for sure than be thinking the worst and not know.

She looked at the clock. 2:30. Plenty of time to meet Tony. She had hardly anything to pack. She would leave her bags and get them when they caught the taxi to the American Embassy.

Dressing in her red top, she studied herself in the mirror. Did she look different than yesterday? She felt like a weight had been lifted from her. Her guilt felt lighter, her eyes brighter, and even if the nightmares still came, she knew that they were not real and that her friends would be there for her.

***

Tony thought about last night as he rode back through the city to the cafe. It was certainly not how he had expected things to be. They had cleared the air of what had been hanging between them for months now. He felt guilty, she felt guilty and they both had opened up about everything they had done. Tony knew she would not heal from her emotional hurt so soon, but she certainly had looked peaceful when had left her that morning.

 He thought about asking her whether she thought they should mention last night to anyone. But he decided that there was no need. They had merely shared a bed and he was pretty sure Gibbs didn't have a rule about that. Even so, things would be different now, he knew. The tension of the last few months would fade. Now things could begin to go back to normal.

He saw her sitting at the same table as yesterday, wearing a red top and her hair out. _My partner_ he thought. _Ninja assassin chick, super hot and yet so strong. You are one lucky agent, Anthony DiNozzo._

He heard her cell ring as he rode up behind her.

"Bonjour, McGee" she answered. "No, everything's fine."

Tony smiled as he pulled up the bike.

"We are leaving for the airport as soon as Tony returns from seeing the sights." she said, a little annoyed at his being late.

"I'm here," he called out as he parked.

"Okay, McGee. Au revoir." She hung up.

"Tell McGee I love Parie" Tony grinned as he moved towards the table.

"Why don't you tell him yourself, when we get back," she quipped. "We must pick up our witness at the embassy. Come on," she moved to stand up.

"Woah, hold your horses," Tony sighed as he sat down. "One day, just isn't enough in this town is it. I get why artists love it. Something about the light. Picasso, Rodan, the can-can girls at the Moulin Rouge." he teased.

"This is not a vacation, Tony," she reminded him for the third time.

"But it is a beautiful day," he smiled as he slipped a piece of danish into his mouth.

Ziva looked up at him quizically. "Why are you in such a pleasant mood?" she asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"I slept well last night." he answered. "Why, didn't you."

Ziva looked at the table. The truth was she had, once she had finally fallen asleep in his arms.

"You certainly looked, comfy enough." he teased.

Ziva looked up at him and laughed.

"Paris" he said. "France. It's really not what I thought it would be." He snapped a picture of an innocent passer-by. "Of course, all I had to go on was a French arms dealer and his rather fetching daughter."

He could se Ziva was getting annoyed with him now and he liked it. Pushing her buttons. Knowing where they stood again was such a relief.

"Oh well, cest la vie. It's french for something."

"That's life," Ziva said as she packed her American History book in her handbag. She stood up. "Let's go."

Tony rose too and motioned to the scoter with his hand. "Apres vous" he said. Ziva made a sound which was supposed to show her distain for the scooter, but she knew she would ride with him.

"Here we go" he said as he jumped on the scooter and started the engine. "Hop on. I'm getting pretty good at this."

Ziva climbed on behind him and held him tightly around the waist.

Tony laughed as he beeped the horn and they rode back to the hotel.


End file.
